Instrument Availability

Before applying for CfA Telescope time, please check telescope and instrument availability below. Before applying for a PI instrument, contact the Principal Investigator and obtain a letter of approval to be submitted with your proposal.

First time users are expected to read the documentation and speak with the instrument PI if they have questions; the TAC chair can point people to recent users for practical tips.

COVID-19 update:The observatories have mostly returned to normal operation and welcome astronomers. Please review Observatory policies for current travel guidance.

NIGHTS AVAILABLE

6.5m MMT telescope, located on Mt Hopkins in Arizona. Approximately 27 dark + 15 grey + 27 bright nights are currently available to CfA Scientists per 6 month semester.
6.5m Magellan telescopes, located on Las Campanas in Chile. Approximately 9 dark + 6 grey + 9 bright nights are currently available to CfA Scientists on each telescope per 6 month semester.
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO), located on Mt Hopkins in Arizona. The 1.2m telescope is dedicated to imaging; the 1.5m telescope is dedicated to spectroscopy. Approximately 66 dark + 33 grey + 66 bright nights are available on each telescope per 6 month semester.

SCHEDULING

Available? The availability of instruments is indicated below. PI instruments generally require the permission of the PI to propose and use.
Queue? MMT and FLWO instruments are mostly run in queue mode by the observatories, Magellan instruments are not. For instruments run in a queue, PI's submit their observing plan and target catalog before the scheduled observing run.
Remote? MMT Blue Channel, and now most Magellan instruments, can be operated by PI's remotely via internet.
Service? MMT and FLWO queue instruments are run by service observers at the observatories. At Magellan, we now have a service observer available to CfA PIs; the expectation is that the service observer will observe most Magellan nights unless PIs choose otherwise.

INSTRUMENTS

1.2m FLWO		Available?	Queue?	Remote?	Service?
Optical	KeplerCam - CCD imager	YES	YES	no	robot
1.5m FLWO		Available?	Queue?	Remote?	Service?
Optical	FAST - moderate dispersion single-slit spectrograph	YES	YES	no	YES
	TRES - high dispersion single-fiber echelle spectrograph	YES	YES	no	YES

6.5m MMT		Available?	Queue?	Remote?	Service?
Optical	Binospec - moderate dispersion multi-slit spectrograph and imager	YES	YES	no	YES
	Hectospec - moderate dispersion 300-fiber spectrograph	YES*	YES	no	YES
	Hectochelle - high dispersion 240-fiber echelle spectrograph	YES*	YES	no	YES
	Blue Channel - moderate dispersion single-slit spectrograph	YES	no	YES	no
	MMT Cam - small field-of-view imager	YES	YES	no	YES
	SPOL - imaging spectropolarimeter	Contact PI
Near-IR	MMIRS - multi-slit spectrograph and imager	YES	YES	no	YES
	ARIES - adaptive optics imager and spectrograph	no**
	MMT-Pol - imaging polarimeter	no**

* Hectospec/chelle are rarely scheduled in Dec-Jan because of a low-temperature operational limit.

** MMT Adaptive Optics System is offline for upgrades; it may be available for proposals in 2024.

6.5m Magellan I = Baade		Available?	Queue?	Remote?	Service?
Optical	IMACS - moderate dispersion multi-slit spectrograph and imager	YES	no	YES	YES
	MagE - moderate dispersion single-slit echellette spectrograph	YES	no	YES	YES
Near-IR	FourStar - wide-field imager	YES	no	YES	YES
	FIRE - high dispersion single-slit echelle spectrograph	YES	no	YES	YES
6.5m Magellan II = Clay
Optical	Megacam - wide-field imager	YES	no	YES	YES
	LDSS-3 - moderate dispersion multi-slit spectrograph	YES	no	YES	YES
	LLAMAS - moderate dispersion integral field spectrograph	Contact PI
	MIKE - high dispersion single-slit echelle spectrograph	YES	no	YES	YES
	M2FS - fiber fed multi-object spectrograph (planning) (reductions)	Contact PI	YES		YES
	IFUM - integral field unis for M2FS	Contact PI	YES		YES
	PFS - high dispersion single-slit echelle spectrograph	Contact PI	YES		YES
	PISCO - parallel imager	Contact PI	YES		YES
Near-IR	WINERED - Warm INfrared Echelle spectrograph	Contact LCO
	MagAO - adaptive optics imager(s)	Contact PI

[Updated March 7, 2023 by WRB.]